In an effort to stop the unprecedented influx of migrants into the Western Hemisphere, the government of El Salvador has implemented a new US$1,000 plus VAT fee for travellers arriving by flight from India and Africa at the airport serving the nation’s capital.
On the other hand, according to airport agency, President Nayib Bukele’s administration is putting a lot of effort into El Salvador International Airport modernization and expansion projects so that all users and passengers that pass through the airport can receive first-rate service.
However, experts believe that the fees might be aimed at preventing migrants from passing through El Salvador on their way to the Mexican border, instead of using the dangerous Darién Gap between Panama and Colombia, which over 400,000 migrants have used this year to start their journey towards the USA.
Comisión Ejecutiva Portuaria Autónoma (CEPA) published a list of nearly 56 countries where US$1,000 is applicable, excluding VAT per passenger. The Aeropuerto Internacional San Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez (AIES-SOARG) Billing, Collection and Payments Section will issue the corresponding fiscal document weekly, consolidating the details presented by the airlines. The airlines will notify the Billing, Collection and Payments Section of the AIES-SORG daily, through a list that must contain the passenger’s name, nationality, arriving flight and departing flight, of the following nationalities:
US Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Brian Nichols met with El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, to talk about “efforts to address irregular migration. “Had an excellent meeting with @nayibbukele,” Nichols tweeted on 26 October 2023. “We talked about how El Salvador is supporting the international mission in Haiti, how to encourage foreign direct investment there, how to cooperate with other countries on the rule of law, and how to work together to combat irregular migration.”
As reported earlier, almost 3.2 million immigrants arrived in El Salvador during the financial year 2023 alone. Many migrants from India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Africa and other countries use the Central American countries to move towards the US.
Including VAT, the additional cost is US$1,130 from travellers from the affected countries. The new fee took effect Oct. 23 and was imposed due to increased use of the country’s main international airport, according to the statement.
Colombian airline Avianca, which is one of the hub’s biggest users, began notifying travellers that passengers from the list of countries as released by El Salvador have to pay the mandatory fee before boarding flights to that country.
According to data published by the International Organization for Migration last month, Honduras saw a 553% increase in the number of migrants crossing its shared southern border with Nicaragua, totalling 19,412, while the number of migrants from African countries passing through the Darién Gap decreased by 65% between January and July, to approximately 4,100 people.